With the beat of U2’s Acthung Baby album in my ears, from Amsterdam I made my way to one of the city that I been looking forward to explore- Berlin.

There is hype about Berlin- every visitor wanted to experience the city’s known and growing reputation as a cultural trendsetter, the laid-back lifestyle, and most importantly, there will always be a general curiosity to see how the city reconstructed itself after the fall of Berlin Wall.

I will always remember Berlin as a city resembling a mini-museum, where the past is very much everywhere, where you don’t need to specifically enter the DDR Museum to understand its story, just walk along Karl-Marx-Allee or around Tiergarten and take notice of every old buildings, every engravings, every decorations.






The most significant representation of Berlin history is none other than the mighty Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor)- a gate made of sandstone, a gate formerly used to represent the separation of East and West Berlin, a gate that after the fall of the wall in 1989 symbolizes German unity above all else.

Brandenburg Gate is the perfect starting point to any Berlin walks and a visit in the morning when everything is just as calm and peaceful is always the best timing.

Few meters walk from Brandenburg Tor is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Not only it is a poignant and important commemoration of the victim of the Holocaust but is also a block of beautiful abstract artwork.

Another best place to see in Berlin is the northern tip of the River Spree where the Museumsinsel or the “Museum Island” and the beautiful Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) are located.

The Museumsinsel, a UNESCO world heritage complex of five outstanding museums- Pergamonmuseum, Bode-Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum.

These museums are impressive both inside and out. The buildings are constructed masterfully and each museum houses vast collections of treasured relics and art from pre-historic artifacts, Ancient Greek, Byzantine Art, Egyptian Collections to name a few.

As each entrance to every museums cost around €10, it is always a good option to purchase a Museum Pass for €24 or maybe a Berlin Welcome Card combine with a Museum Island Pass.

Apart from the timeless architecture at Museum Island, a structure that is very hard not to take notice is the 368 meters tall Berlin TV Tower occupying a special spot in the city skyline.

Navigating Berlin is easy particularly if you get acquainted to S-Bahn, U-Bahn and the whole public transport zoning system and above all else if you are comfortable to the idea that there are no gates to tap or insert your card at the entrance and exit of each station. Thus, it is a matter of honesty of actually purchasing the ticket and validating them accordingly.

I can’t imagine getting caught without a validated ticket or even a ticket itself, to pay a hefty fine is one thing but the glares from other passengers might be the worst.

Willkommen in Berlin.